The following post features student writing.
After five continuous days of hard work and the fulfillment of community service, our amazing group embarked on our very first excursion—or “vacation” as we Putney kids like to call it. Our destination, which was roughly two and a half hours away from our new home in Biolley, was a quiet little village, surrounded by a vast rain forest filled with sloths, gigantic cockroaches, monkeys, and just about every other magical wonder Mother Nature has to offer. Oh yeah, and the Pacific Ocean that rested to the west of our little cabins.
After a rather monotonous ride, we arrived at the beautiful Hacienda Baru. The humidity hit us all hard, as we’d grown accustomed to the chilly mountains of Biolley, but from our first step out the door, we all pulled through thanks to the beautiful world that greeted us. We started our journey by setting up shop in our new little cabins, throwing on our bathing suits, and heading toward the ocean. At the beach, which glowed with blues and greens from the ocean meeting the skyline, we headed toward the ocean to let go of all our saved energy from our little drive. After an hour or two we headed back to our cabins and got some rest for the next day.
After enjoying the luxuries of our little cabins for the night, the following morning we headed down to the forest where we would experience the thrills and freedom of a horse ride. The feeling a horse can bring to a person is an immaculate experience, one I recommend for everyone at least once in their lifetime. We took a lunch break at a little restaurant located in the center of the forest, where we were greeted with monkeys, delicious food, and beautiful parrots. We made some more occasional pit stops, most to admire and swim in the amazing waterfalls that decorated an already beautiful place. As with most wonderful adventures, they must come to an end, but we´d have the rest of the day to relax and prepare for our next day.
We woke at somewhat of an early hour to experience ziplining through the jungle, which was a huge hit with the group. The guides were both friendly and informative and the jungle was filled with sloths and lush plants. After gliding through the air, experiencing the carefree life of tropical birds, we too had to land. We packed up our belongings, cleaned our cabins, and headed back in our bus to go back “home,” where we would help make the world a better place and grow as individuals. This has easily been the greatest weekend of my whole life.
¡Adios!
– Vinny
(our resident writer)
